Pre-entries: www.mountainchallenge.co.za. Entries open in early March. It is advisable to enter early as entries are limited.

MARLOTH MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE (MMC)

DIRECTIONS

Race Start Coordinates: -34.02940237191608, 20.441007614135742

Race Finish Coordinates: None

MARLOTH MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE (MMC)

THE RUN

Both the solo and the relay options run over the same route which has been broken into three distinct 'stages'.

Swellendam to Goedgeloof. Distance: 26 kilometres. Total ascent: 1,730 metres. The first leg has a fair amount of climbing. From Swellendam there is a slow yet steady ascent towards the towers of Tienuur se Punt and Elfuurkoppe and onwards between the forests of Duiwelsbos and Wamakersbos. There is some respite as the trail takes you north towards the Boskloof River before making the ascent to the first checkpoint at the site of the former Boskloof Hiking Trail Hut. From here it is time to bite down hard as the path gets steep and leads you along Drosters Pass to Vulture Rock. Finally the route turns back into the Zuurplats Valley and the final ascent up Knuckle Rock followed by a steep technical rocky descent to the Goedgeloof Hiking Hut and the end of the stage.

Goedgeloof to Wolfkloof. Distance: 17 kilometres. Total ascent: 860 metres. Perhaps the easiest leg, the route leaves Goedgeloof and descends gently initially before making the 300 metre climb to Warmwaternek. Thereafter the route takes you to into the ‘Proteavallei’ ringed by peaks like Misty Point at 1,710 metres. In the second half of this stage you arrive at the Proteavallei Hiking Hut and checkpoint three. Using the natural features of the Kruispad Ridge the trail begins to drop rapidly towards the valley below and brings you onto the Wolfkloof Hiking Trail and the end of the second stage.

Wolfkloof to Swellendam. Distance: 18 kilometres. Total ascent: 900 metres. The final leg starts with a 300 metre grind towards ‘Eenuurkop’ and then onward to Kliprivier and Hermitage Kloof and a technical descent of equal measure. There is more work to be done before the halfway mark is reached on this stage as you climb over three tiers that takes you up and behind ‘Doktersbos’, ‘Koloniesbos’ and ‘Duiwelsbos’ before descending the Koloniesbos ridgeline. From here it is a comfortable four kilometre run to the finish.
For those who have given the whole 61 kilometres a go, running back into a busy town will be quite the change from the peace and tranquillity of the Swellendam Mountains.

The Swellendam Hiking Trail is one of South Africa’s most sought-after hiking trails; a true six day mountain wilderness experience through the Swellendam Mountains. This hallowed ground has recently been given the green light by Cape Nature for an iconic trail run. The 55 kilometre Marloth Mountain Challenge Ultra Skymarathon will be a stand-alone race in 2019 and is a qualifying race for the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc and will give you one point toward qualification. It is also part of the SA Skyrunner Series and is the only ultra in South Africa that forms part of the Skyrunner Series.